The trend: Social media ad spending for the healthcare and pharma sector is projected to eclipse linear TV expenditure. With social's outlay growing significantly—an 18.1% increase—to nearly $6 billion, this demonstrates a strategic shift away from linear TV, which we simultaneously forecast to decline by 11%, per EMARKETER’s healthcare and pharma ad spending forecast.

Editor’s note: This article pulls information from our just-published “US Healthcare and Pharma Ad Spending 2025” report.

By the numbers: Social media ad spending has grown by 17% or more every year since 2023, per EMARKETER’s forecast.